Ugly grass but not "regular" crabgrass
seagreen_turtle Z5b/6a SE Michigan
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
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Jay 6a Chicago
2 years agoRelated Discussions
How do i start my lawn out right this year? (Crabgrass infestatio
Comments (6)Your dead spots look like dead or dormant annual rye grass to me. In Iowa rye grass both annual and perennial grow very nicely in May thru July. But often it goes dormant or dies out in August. I've been over seeding my Iowa lawn each year with about 50% Tall Turf Fescue and 50% Kentucky Blue Grass The TTF is used in the sunny areas and the KBG in the shadier spots under my trees. Crab grass (aka) water grass in Iowa is easy to spot ... it looks like this. To kill it use Trimec or 2-4D on it. Halts will work to help prevent it's spreading but, you can not over seed when halts in on the ground. As it will prevent the good grass from germinating too....See MoreGoing to try something new -- 100% Crabgrass lawn
Comments (17)I took this seriously! And probably because I decided when I moved to my new husband and home 2 years ago, that if what's happy in my yard is crabgrass and Bermuda grass, then that's what I like, too. He had told me he and his former wife (deceased) had spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on hauling in dirt for the rocky lawn, and many more $$ and time seeding and re-seeding lawn grasses; there is a slight slope to this rock-based 1-plus acre of lawn and sometimes heavy rain in the spring and early summer, which seemed to always wash the seeded grass to the far corners. . . the yard is dappled shade in most parts, but in the sunny spots, everything fries. My first summer was last year, and by July, my lawn had filled in and looked beautiful--the crabgrass and Bermuda grass were going crazy. I told him that since my priorities are the vegetable and flower gardens, if we could mow and have it look good, I didn't care WHAT green stuff was in the lawn. I am a big proponent of whatever works well in the yard is what I'll try to go with--and the crabgrass and Bermuda grass love the yard....See MoreTo seed or to inhibit crabgrass?
Comments (3)I'm assuming you have a bluegrass lawn. Why? You are in zone 6 and have a very dense turf. Bermuda is probably not common where you live. It might help to know a little more about where you are, though. The only reason you would have thin areas in bluegrass is if you have shade. Bluegrass will spread to fill any thin areas unless they are shady. For those areas you should consider a different type of grass or even a ground cover. Fescue might grow depending on how much shade you have. I can see swirly marks in the lawn indicating you are mowing it about 2-3 inches too low. I realize you don't get to mowing that often, but letting it grow higher (MUCH higher) will solve your problems. Plus when you are routinely mowing a 4 inches, it will not grow any faster to get to 5 inches than it does to grow from 2-3 inches. When you mow from 3 down to 2 inches, you are removing a 1 inch and trying to mulch it into 2 inches. That is a lot of clippings relative to what is remaining. If you mow from 5 to 4, you have 4 inches remaining for the clippings to filter down into. The taller grass will look a lot more plush and will provide shade for the microbes that decompose grass clippings to do their job. They don't work well in direct sun (from mowing low). It will take a little time for all the grass to grow up to a 3 or 4 inch height to be mowed. Until then (maybe in May) it will look a little scraggly. Don't worry. Tall bluegrass is unbelievably beautiful once you get it all up to the same height. I'm going to attach a picture of William's Kentucky bluegrass lawn. The picture was taken several years ago and posted here on the GardenWeb Lawn forum. All he did to restore the lawn to this condition was raise his mowing height and water less often. At the same time he started an organic program and had stopped using herbicides. That is a side issue but suffice it to say, he was not over fertilizing to make it look like this....See Moreshort crabgrass infestation in 7b moab, ut problem
Comments (1)Okay, way, Way, WAY, WAAAAAAAYYYYY too much information. Please try to stay on topic. If all your tenant agreement says is "maintain and irrigate," you're screwed. Your definition of maintain and irrigate is apparently different from theirs. It's your opinion against theirs. Your word has nothing to do with it. It's all opinion because you used loose language. If you want to ensure you get 100% crabgrass coverage by July, follow your current plan. If you want to get rid of crabgrass do this... 1. Water deeply and infrequently. You're almost there with the 5-day flood plan. Can you stretch that to 14 days this time of year and gradually work it up to 7 days when the temps get into the 90s? 2. Mulch mow at the mower's highest setting. 3. Fertilize once in the late spring and twice in the fall. 4. WAIT UNTIL FALL to reseed. Crabgrass seed only germinates in the spring and only when it lands on moist soil which remains moist for several days. If you withhold water and allow the soil surface to dry out completely, then you have a shot a not having any crabgrass. But you need a dense turf. Fescue has that problem of becoming less dense over time unless you continually reseed in the fall. So it was not your tenant's fault that you have crabgrass in his lawn....See Moreseagreen_turtle Z5b/6a SE Michigan
2 years agoseagreen_turtle Z5b/6a SE Michigan
2 years agogardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoseagreen_turtle Z5b/6a SE Michigan
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoJay 6a Chicago
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoseagreen_turtle Z5b/6a SE Michigan
2 years agoJay 6a Chicago
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoseagreen_turtle Z5b/6a SE Michigan thanked Jay 6a Chicagolinaria_gw
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoseagreen_turtle Z5b/6a SE Michigan thanked linaria_gwseagreen_turtle Z5b/6a SE Michigan
2 years agoseagreen_turtle Z5b/6a SE Michigan
2 years ago
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)